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You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / How Fentanyl Changed the Game for Mexican Drug Cartels

How Fentanyl Changed the Game for Mexican Drug Cartels

July 25, 2023 at 3:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Financial Times: “In the last decade, fentanyl has become the leading cause of death for young adults in the US. Mexico’s illegal drug trade has also adapted to the shift from plant-based drugs towards synthetics, creating a new, streamlined and highly profitable arm of the illicit business with fewer workers and lower costs — but just as much violence.”

“The change has caused friction in two of Washington’s most important relationships, with China and Mexico. It is also fast becoming a priority for U.S. Republicans ahead of the country’s 2024 presidential election, with candidates rolling out ever more radical proposals for measures against both nations.”

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Filed Under: Foreign Affairs


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goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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